In Depth

Boone Circuit Judge Steven David will become the next Indiana Supreme Court justice, meaning the state’s highest court
will remain without a woman.
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels made the announcement at 10:30 a.m., choosing Judge David from three finalists that also included
Marion Superior Judge Robyn Moberly and Karl Mulvaney, a partner at Bingham McHale in Indianapolis. Judge David succeeds Justice
Theodore Boehm, who is retiring Sept. 30.

UPDATED:
Boone Circuit Judge Steven David will become the next Indiana Supreme Court justice.

In making his selection, the governor said Judge David stood out for his distinguished 15 years on the trial bench, his past
experience in business, and his longtime military legal career. The judge offered the clearest expression of commitment to
proper restraint on the bench and respect for judicial decision-making boundaries.

“He will be a judge who interprets, rather than invents our laws,” Daniels said.

The governor said he would have “liked nothing more” than to name a woman to the court, taking Indiana off the
list of being one of two nationally without a female justice. Diversity might have been used as a “tie-breaker,”
but this wasn’t a tie, he said.

“My task was to find the best person on the merits, and I’m sure I did,” Daniels said. “Now the state
is going to benefit from that for years to come.”

With this appointment, Judge David shifts the balance of the Supreme Court to three former judges – Chief Justice Randall
T. Shepard served on the Vanderburgh Superior bench and Justice Robert Rucker served at the Indiana Court of Appeals. Justices
Frank Sullivan, Brent Dickson, and the retiring Boehm came all came from the private sector.

A 1982 graduate of Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis, Judge David began on the Boone Circuit bench in
1995. He began his career in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps until the mid-1980s, when he began practicing
in Columbus at law firm Cline King King & David before serving as corporate counsel for Mayflower Transit in Carmel.

Standing with his wife Cathryn –- who works at the Indiana State Bar Association –- this morning in the governor’s
office, Judge David said this is a continuation of a lifetime priority of public service.

“This is a way for me to serve in a different way,” he said. “The lesson learned is it’s OK to dream.
Hard work can pay off.”